The ''Darigan'', was a special military force within the armed forces of the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

. This force (alongside the

pushtigban The ''pushtigban'' was an elite military unit of the Sasanian Empire, charged with the protection of the Persian Emperor. They were stationed during peacetime in the royal capital of Ctesiphon and were drawn from the best of the ranks of the Sas ...

) was charged with the protection of the Sasanian Emperor. The members of the Darigan were chosen from the various noble and significant families within the empire. Members of the Darigan were charged with tasks such as guarding the gates of the palace, presenting guests and foreign leaders to the ruler, and occasionally acted as military advisors or diplomats to the King.

Notable operations

The commander of the Darigan (the Hazarbed) occasionally acted as a royal executioner and the Darigan would play a role in those operations. Additionally, on the holidays of

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

and

Mihragan Mehregan ( fa, ) or Jashn-e Mehr ( ''Mithra Festival'') is a Zoroastrian and Iranian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra ( fa, Mehr), which is responsible for friendship, affection and love. Name "Mehregan" is derived from the Middl ...

the King would often make a large speech; it was during this speech that the Darigan was given the task of protecting the King from potential plots during the events.

References

{{Reflist Sasanian Empire